A Course in Dyeing 



FOR 



GARMENT DYERS 



BY 

EDWARD PRAG 

Editor "Modern Dyer and Cleaner," 
Teacher of Dyeing and Dry Cleaning 



PUBLISHED BY 

The Modern Dyer and Gleaner Publishing Co. 

Juniper and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Price, $5.00 



K 



** 






Copyright 1909 
The Modern Dyer ard Cleaner Publishing Co. 



C| A 247 48 4 
SEP (5 1909 



Preface 



In writing '' A Course in Dyeing" the author 
has omitted all theoretical matter and long 
elaboration upon the various subjects. His 
sole object is to place a useful work before the 
garment dyers, a book which will be of use to 
every dyer. The author has also omitted all 
matter regarding the dyeing of new goods or 
material and has solely confined himself to ' 'Gar- 
ment Dyeing" for which this book is intended. 

Modern Dyer & Cleaner Publishing Co. 



To The 

Garment Dyers 

and 

To All Interested In 

The Art of Dyeing 

This Work Is Respectfully Dedicated 

By The Author 



A Course in Dyeing, 



PREPARING GARMENTS BEFORE DYEING. 

All garments before they are dyed must be 
properly prepared, they must either be scoured 
or placed into a solution which will cleanse the 

ments. 

Heavy gentlemen's garments should be 
scoured, as an ordinary soap solution will not 
always eradicate all the dirt and grease. It is 
absolutely necessary that the goods be en- 
tirely free from dirt or spots as otherwise no 
clear color can be obtained. 

A great many dyers use a soda bath, immer- 
sing the garments in this bath for a short time. 
This method is more injurious than useful. 
The soda makes the goods harsh and attacks the 
wool, and if not thoroughly washed the dyeings 
will be uneven. 

Black, brown and navy blue are the most 
difficult shades to produce and nearly every dyer 
has trouble with these colors and consequently 
great care should be taken in preparing the gar- 
ments before dyeing. 



To obtain a good black, brown or navy blue 
it is always advisable to draw as much color as 
possible from the garments to be dyed. 

A good scouring solution which will also draw 
the color is made in following way. 

For fifty gallons of water. 

1 8 ounces ground or chipped soap 
1 2 ounces soda ash 
\ ounce Fuller's Earth 
\ ounce Ammonia 

This solution for ordinary cleansing should 
be used lukewarm, for drawing color the solu- 
tion should be brought to a boil and left for 
10 or 15 minutes in the bath. The goods should 
then be thoroughly washed, no further scouring 
is necessary" 

Ladies garments should receive a light 
scouring, principally the bottom of the skirts, 
as the street dust is ground into the fibre and if 
not fully removed no bright or even shade is 
obtainable. )/ 

After the garments have been cleansed it is 
absolutely necessary to rinse them thoroughly 
so that every particle of soap is rinsed out. 
Garments which are not well rinsed very often 
will not dye even or will have a greyish look. To 
obtain good shades and even colors the dyer 
must be careful in preparing the garments as 
otherwise he cannot expect good results, j/ Only 
too often complaints are heard from the dyer 



that he cannot understand why his shade is 
off or where the spots are coming from ; if the 
dyer would have taken care when he prepared 
the garments for dyeing most likely he would 
have had no complaints to make. 

If the dyer does not care to use the scouring 
preparation described above he can use an al- 
ready prepared compound which is sold under 
the name of Ellito. If he does not care to use 
any preparation and prefers soap it is advisable 
that he use a good neutral olive oil soap. It is 
wrong economy to use a bad potash soap just 
because it is a few cents a pound cheaper. Gar- 
ments which are faded and scoured with a cheap 
potash soap are very hard to be dyed and if the 
dyer has been careless and has not thoroughly 
washed the garments the faded parts will come up 
uneven and in light goods will come up much 
darker than the rest of the garment. All cheap 
potash soap, naphtha and any soap showing a 
great deal of free alkali should be avoided. If a 
soap has too much alkali it can be easily 
detected as the alkali will penetrate through the 
soap and form a white substance. 

Garments which have faded parts or which 
have been attacked by perspiration should, after 
they have been scoured, be immersed in an 
acetic acid bath, about one pint of acetic acid to 
each twenty five gallons of cold water and 
allowed to remain in this bath for fifteen min- 



utes. If the garment is not very much faded 
and only has a few spots take a sponge and sat- 
urate the spots with a little diluted acetic acid. 
After the acetic acid bath rinse the garment. 

Another essential factor in dyeing is the 
water which is used. The water which is used 
for dyeing should be free from lime and iron and 
should he soft. Water which contains a great 
deal of iron or lime will not produce even shades 
and will give the dyer a great deal of trouble. 
It is quite easy to find out if the water contains 
lime. Add to a gallon of water a handful of 
Glauber's Salt and boil the same for a few min- 
utes and if a white sediment forms on top of the 
water the water contains lime. The best way 
to overcome this trouble is to boil the water and 
skim off the sediment and then cool the bath off 
ready for dyeings It is a little more difficult to 
detect the presence of iron and whenever the 
dyer surmises that his troubles are caused by 
iron in the water it is advisable to consult a 
chemist and find out the percentage of iron in 
the water. To test the water if it contains im- 
purities, drop a few drops of nitrate of silver in 
a tumbler full of water, if the water becomes 
milky, it shows the water is impure. 



If the water contains very large quantities 
of iron it would be best to try and get the supply 
from another source and if possible by sinking 
an artesian well. 

Hard water is absolutely unfit for dyeing 
but it is an evil which can easily be overcome. 

To soften water use soda ash. Quite a num- 
ber of dyers prefer a little acetic acid, again, 
the most experienced dyers use just ordinary 
potash soap, which is shaved into the bath, the 
bath is then boiled and all the impurities are 
skimmed off. These dyers claim that the dye- 
ings in soap softened water are very bright, 
and that the dyestuff goes on very even. 



The Dye House. 

Skill and good judgment are necessary for a 
good dyer, but no matter how skillful a dyer is 
he cannot obtain results without the proper 
apparatus for dyeing. 

A good dye house, well ventilated is just as 
necessary as good dyes. Dyeing in a wash 
kettle on a coal stove will not bring forth artistic 
colors. 

The" cost of a small dye house is not very 
great and a small but modern plant will turn 
out a great deal of work. 

Tubs can be made of large casks. The tubs 
should have double bottoms, between them is 
the steam coil. In most of the smaller dye 
houses, only ordinary cask or tubs are used and 
the steam pipe is le/d directly horizontal into the 
tub. ^ 

The iron pipe should never come from the 
top. There are several reasons. First, when 
the steam pipe is le&d in a horizontal way into 
the tub the steam is apt to hit the garments and 
very often holes are made in the same by the. 
force of the steam. Second, after the iron pipe 
has been used for a short time it becomes rusty 
and quite frequently injures the dyebath and 
uneven dyeings are obtained as some of the 
dyestuffs are very sensitive to iron. Third, the 



bath can never be heated evenly and most all 
the so-called heat spots are occasioned by the 
horizontal steampipes. 

The steam should always enter from the bot- 
tom of the tub by a steamcoil covered with a 
perforated false bottom or where such is not 
possible the coil should be covered with asbestos. 

A copper jacket kettle with a heavy cover 
is very often used. ' These jacket kettles do ex- 
cellent work but the new dye kettle is much 
more preferable. 

The floor of the dye house should be concrete 
with a drain in the middle of the floor, y On the 
left side of the dye house should be a forty H. P. 
steam boiler and near the door the scouring 
tables. f The dye house has large sliding win- 
dows giving ample ventilation. In the rear of 
the dye house should be built the drying room. 
The walls of the drying room are covered with 
radiators and the- steam is brought from the 
dyehouse. The size of the drying room should 
be about 12x15 feet. 

The dye house described above is naturally 
only considered a small plant. A firm doing a 
great deal of job dyeing must have much larger 
tubs. Most of the larger dye houses have large 
cedar tubs or large cask. The latter are consid- 
erably less expensive but not quite as useful as a 
good cedar tub. For dyeing union colors cop- 




Copper Dye Kettle. 



Height, 30 \ inches. 

Diameter, 27^ inches. 

Depth of Tank, 16 inches. 

Capacity, 40 gallons. 

The steam enters at the bottom through a 
spray nozzle. 

■Manufactured by G. H. Bishop, Chicago, 
111. : 



per kettles are the most useful as they can be 
cleansed quicker and less danger of a sediment 
forming on the sides as is very often the case 
with wooden tubs, the sediment which at times 
forms itself on the side of the tub is the cause of 
spotted dyeings. ^ 

The dye house should be at least 22-25 leet 
high, should hav e_s winging windo ws so that it 
can easily be ventilated which is very essential. .-{' 
The windows should be of ground glass 
so that the rays of the sun cannot freely pene- 
trate. In a dye house where colors have to be 
matched it is well nigh impossible to do so if the 
sunlight is very bright. The wall should be 
painted a dull grey or green. .This is also essen- 
tial where shades have to be matched, white 
walls are very annoying. rThe floor should be 
of concrete and in front of the tubs should be a 
small canal to allow the waste water to run off. 
Withovrt that the water spreads all over the 
floor. /^Opposite the dye tubs should be the 
rinsing tubs. The hydroextractor should be re- 
moved as far as possible from the dye tubs. If 
possible it should be in the adjoining room as 
the steam very often injures the true running of 
the extractor and the acid vapors corrode the 
inside basket. 

Two of the principal factors for a modern 
dye house in which good and clean work is done , 
are plenty of light and good ventilation. ^^ 



A great many of the smaller dye houses 
have in some corner a small closet, where the 
dye and chemicals are kept. This is abso- 
lutely wrong. The storeroom should be sepa- 
rated from the dye house for two reasons — one, 
economy; two, cleanliness. The steam attacks 
the tin cans in which the dyestuffs are kept. 
The cans get rusty and fall apart, and the dye- 
stuff gets hard and caked and becomes useless. 
The careless handling of these cans brings forth 
a great deal of trouble ; the dye is spilt on the 
wooden shelves, and the least draft blows the 
loose dyestuff either into the vats or on the wet 
garments and serious spots result which ^are 
hard to eradicate. 



10 




OUTLET 



Hand Power Hydroextractor 
Manufactured by Steel Roll Machine Co., Chicago, 111. 



The Drying Room. 

A good drying room is very essential to bring 
forth good results. A small plant naturally 
cannot afford to install an expensive drying 
room. In such a case a drying room as described 
in a former paragraph suffices. If it is not con- 
venient to have the drying room, attached to 
the dye house and it is located in another part of the 
building, it is not expensive to have the steam- 
pipes connected from the dyehouse to the dry- 
ing-room as steam heat is the best and safest 
heat for drying garments. Coal fire heat cannot 
be regulated and nothing is more injurious to 
re-dyed garments than an overheated drying- 
room. It is a mistaken idea that it is necessary 
to have the drying-room fearfully hot. 

Ninety to ninety-five degrees is the hottest 
the room should beVIf the room is overheated 
the garments will dry up brown, very often 
navy blues will come out of the drying room 
uneven which is caused by too great a heat 

Gas heat is also not very preferable for dry- 
ing purposes as it causes the dyer all kinds of 
trouble. 



12 



/ 




HTDROEXTRACTOR 

Manufactured by 
American Laundry Machine Manufacturing Co. 



13 



For large establishments which can afford to 
place the latest improvements in their dyeing 
plants, the new special constructed drying rooms 
are the best. The heat can be regulated at will, 
which is very essential. The heat is evenly 
distributed and all danger of an over heated 
drying-room is done away with. 

The cut on page 1 5 illustrates one of these 
new drying rooms. 



14 




Manufactured by 
The American Laundry Machinery Co. 



15 



Dyeing. 

Dyeing is an art which needs a great deal of 
skill and judgment. The reason that so many 
fail to become good dyers, is because they are 
lacking in good judgment and are not taking 
sufficient time to study the necessary rudiments. 
They rely mostly upon the advice of the sales- 
man who sells the dyestuff. i He seldom knows 
anything about dyeing and tells the dyer a 
wonderful fairy tale about the merits of his 
firm's dyestuff. After he has the order, he 
leaves the dyer to find out the great merits of the 
he If adulterated dyestuff s and if complaint is 
entered he has a great supply of plausible ex- 
cuses. 

If great skill and judgment are needed in a 
mill, where only new yarns or piece goods are 
dyed it takes greater skill and judgment to dye 
garments. The garment dyer has to contend 
with a great many difficulties which never enter 
into dyeing new material. 

The foreman dyer of a mill, will not admit 
this and believes himself superior in skill to the 
garment dyer, but if he drifts into the garment 
dyeing business he soon finds his mistake. 

Nearly every mill has a chemist who tests 
the dyestuff s and chemicals. The foreman 



16 



tries the dyestuff's, matches the shades, the ma- 
terial is weighed, the dyestuff and chemicals are 
also carefully weigh d out, and every slightest 
detail is looked after to obtain' good results. 

It is vastly different in a garment dyeing 
establishment.^/ Even in the largest plants a 
chemist is seldom employed. The goods and the 
chemicals are not weighed. A teaspoonful of dye- 
stuff, a tablespoonful of salt and a dipperful of 
something else is used and so on. Consequent- 
ly the troubles are manifold and a great deal of 
money is wasted. 

There is no reason why the same care should 
not be taken in dyeing garments as in new 
material. 

The only reason known is that a good many 
garment dyers are not dyers by trade and have 
drifted into the business and are doing the dye- 
ing by formulas given to them by the dyestuff 
salesmen. A, 

If the garment dyer would weigh his goods, 
chemicals, etc., he would save a great deal of 
money and avoid trouble. 

A dyebath overcharged with dyestuff brings 
about bronzed colors. A dyebath over- 
charged with common salt vefy often is the 
cause of "Crocked" goods. ^In dyeing Union 
goods these items have to be taken in consider- 
ation. The alkali acts upon the wool, shrinks 
the wool fibre but leaves the cotton intact. 



17 



When such has taken place the garments cannot 
be successfully pressed. The alkali also has a 
bad effect upon the silk linings or trimmings. 
It dulls the lustre, makes them brittle and often 
gives the black a reddish tone. 

When the dye bath eventually is emptied, 
pounds of dyestuff are emptied into the sewer 
which have never done any good, except to the 
dyestuff dealer. 

Another mistaken idea is in dyeing black 
that if the garment does not come up to the 
desired depth to add more dye. A garment 
can only absorb a certain amount of dye and an 
overcharged dyebath brings about a black which 
rubs off or as the dyers say it " Smutts." 

The weighing of the garments and chemicals 
is not by any means troublesome. 

For example; a hundred pounds of goods 
are dyed for which should be taken 5% of color 
and 1 d% of salt. It means that 5 pounds of dye- 
stuff and 10 lbs. of salt are used. 1/ Now if a suit 
weighs 5 lbs. one twentieth of the above amount 
is used. Four ounces of dyestuff and eight 
ounces of salt and so on. 

Scales are not a very expensive luxury and a 
whole outfit, a small platform scale and a good 
scale for weighing chemicals can be bought for 
fifteen or twenty dollars, and they will pay 
for themselves in a very short time. Y 

18 



The Metric system is the best system to 
adopt, it is easier in calculation and more accur- 
ate. 

If your garments weigh 5 pounds, multiply 
454x5=2270, now you have to use 5% of dye- 
stuff or salt. Multiply 2270x5= 1 13. 50 or 113 
grams and 5 decigrams equal about 3i ounce-. 
1 lb. equals 454 grams. 
1 Ounce equals 30 grams. 
1 Gram equals 10 Decigrams 
1 Decigram equals 10 Centigrams 
1 Centigram equals ico Milligrams 

Liquid Measure. 
1 lb. equals 454 C. C. 
1 ounce equals 30 C. C. 
In garment dyeing the quite small meas- 
ures are very seldom needed, and if the metric 
system is too difficult the old system is good 
enough. For correct tables of the metric sys- 
tem see back of this book. 

To fully explain the liquid measure, suppose 
for example that the goods are dyed with sul- 
furic acid. The goods weigh twenty pounds and 
it is necessary to use 4^ of acid for one hundred 
pounds, and for 20 lbs. you would use | of 4 lbs, 
or about 13 oz. Using the metric system 20 lbs. 
equals 50S0 grams X4 equals 363 grams, 2 deci- 
grams or in practical use you would use 364 C. C. 
A graduated measuring glass can be bought at 
any wholesale drug firm. 



19 



The Dyeing of Union Goods. 

The dyeing of Union goods is the most im- 
portant branch and also the most difficult. 
Every day brings new materials into the market 
and these new goods are a mixture of wool, 
cotton, silk, mercerized yarn, artificial silk, 
shoddy, etc. 

The demands of the custumers are also 
growing daily which makes the task of the dyer 
more difficult. In years gone by an ordinary 
black, brown or blue was acceptable. This is 
entirely different now. The dyer must match 
the shades to sample and the slightest defect in 
shade will be rejected. 

The greatest difficulties which present them- 
selves to the dyer are black, dark brown and 
navy blue. 

The garments which are brought to be re- 
dyed brown or navy blue are usually faded and 
these faded parts are a great annoyance to the 
dyer as they usually come up darker. 
Navy blues also give a great deal of trouble to 
the dyer as often the dress is streaked. All 
these troubles can be remedied and most of the 
time they would not occur if the proper atten- 
tion would be given to the garments before 
dyeing. 



20 



To obtain good results in dyeing Union 
goods, three factors have to be taken into consid- 
eration. 

First. The cleaning of garments before 
dyeing. 

Second. Selection of dyestuff. 

Third. Washing after dyeing. 

All garments to be dyed, should be well 
dusted. The new dust wheels are very appro- 
priate for the same. 

After the garments are dusted they should 
be scoured with a good neutral soap and then 
well rinsed. 

The scouring in large plants is now done by 
scouring machines and it is claimed that the 
machine gives better results than hand work. 
The cut below is one of the latest approved 
machines. 

The next is the selection of the dyestuff. To 
obtain a good black a dyestuff should be selected 
which is specially prepared for garment dyeing. 
There are hundreds of good Union Blacks in the 
market but -absolutely useless for garment 
dyeing. 

A good Union Black, should dye the cotton, 
wool and silk a perfect fast black. 



21 



DYEING METHOD. 

The dyeing method of all the special pre- 
pared Union dyes is very similar. These 
dyes either dye with the addition of Glauber's 
Salt or common Salt. 

QUANTITIES OF DYESTUFF'. 

A good black should be produced with five 
pounds of dyestuff for each one hundred pounds 
of goods. The bath does not exhaust and 
should be kept for future lots; for the 
second bath only three fourths of the original 
quantity is needed and for the third bath only 
one-half the quantity of dyestuff is added. 

QUANTITY OF SATT. 

If the dyestuff is dyed with the addition of 
Glauber's salt, ten pounds to the hundred pounds 
of goods should be taken. If common salt is 
used not more than five pounds to each hun- 
dred pounds of goods. Usually ten to fifteen 
pounds of salt is recommended. Too much 
salt is injurious to the wool as also to the silk. 

THE DYEING OPERATION. 

Fill the vat with lukewarm water and add 
the salt to the bath. 

Dissolve the dyestuff in boiling water and 
when fully dissolved add to the bath. 



22 




DUST WHEEL. 

Manufactured by 
Cleveland Laundry Machinery Co., Cleveland, O. 



23 



The salt should always be added to the bath 
first. 

Enter the goods and work them for five min- 
utes without steam. Put on the steam and 
bring the bath slowly to a boil, always working 
the garments with a stick. Boil from twenty 
five to thirty minutes, shut off the steam and 
allow the garments to remain in the bath from 
twenty to thirty minutes. 

If the garments remain a little longer in the 
cold bath the cotton will be richer in shade. 

A good test to see if your dy estuff is appropriate 
for your work is. to watch the cotton. If the 
cotton after a period of thirty minutes in the 
cold bath dries up bluish or red the dyestuff is 
useless for garment dyeing. 

WASHING THE GARMENTS. 

After the garments come from the dye bath, 
throw them over wooden horses and allow the 
dy estuff to run off, then wash first in lukewarm 
water and again wash in cold water. No soda 
should be used in the rinsing bath. After the 
garments are well washed, they should be at 
once hydroextracted and hung up to dry in a 
moderately heated drying-room. 

Before the garments are placed in the dye- 
vat, the seams in the the lining should be opened 
about two or three inches. This will prevent 



24 



the linings from sacking and gives the dye liq- 
uor a better chance to penetrate. 

What holds good for dyeing black holds good 
for all other Union dyestuffs except navy blue. 
Thev are all dved in the same manner. 



25 



Shade Dyeing. 

In former years the garment dyers 
did not need to undertake to dye according to 
sample and customers were not so very parti- 
cular. If a dyer was able to come anywhere 
near within four or five shades of given samples 
he was satisfied with the job and the customer 
also was quite pleased. 

At the present time the demands of a cus- 
tomer are much greater, he or she wants an 
exact shade dyed to the given sample and can- 
not be satisfied with an off shade. Consequently, 
shade dyeing has become a difficult and trouble- 
some task. 

No matter how good a dyer may be 
on straight shades he might be a complete 
failure so far as creating shades is concerned. 

If the goods were all wool, silk or cotton 
the difficulty would not be so great, but when 
the garments are mixed it is not an easy task. 

It is impossible to give a set rule for match- 
ing a shade and fully depends upon the skill and 
good judgement of the dyer. 

The dyer should confine himself entirely 
to "Union Dyes tuffs" as it is very seldom 
that a garment is all wool or all cotton. 



26 



It is the habit for dyers to dye a garment 
brown with a Union dyestuff and shade off with 
a blue or green wool or cotton color. The result, 
naturally, in most cases is disastrous as either 
the wool or cotton will be darker or the dye- 
stuff used for shading is of an entirely different 
nature than the Union dyestuff and the goods 
come out of the dye vat spotted. 

It is absolutely essential that when gar- 
ments have to be dyed to a given sample that 
the dyestuff employed must be of the same 
nature. If Diamine colors are used all Diamine 
dyestuff s are used, if Benzo or Oxonite dye- 
stuffs are used, all Benzo or Oxonite colors 
should be employed and so on. 

To give recipes for all shades in vogue at 
the present time would be a futile task and by 
the time the task would be finished hundreds 
of new shades would have made their appearance 

With the three Primary Colors every shade 
of the rainbow can be obtained. The Primary 
colors are Blue, Red and Yellow, the Secondar- 
ies are Green, Orange and Purple. 

Now for instance, equal parts of blue and 
yellow make a green, if the shade should be 
more greenish a larger quantity of yellow must 
be taken, if the shade should be bluish naturally 
more blue has to be taken; in this way any 
green shade can be obtained from a pale Nile 
green to a dark Russian green. The addition 



27 



of a very small quantity of red is always ad- 
vantageous if a dark green is wanted. 

Brown shades are obtained with yellow, 
green and red, by taking a larger quantity 
of yellow, a dark brown will be obtained, by 
using a larger quantity of green, red and a 
smaller amount of yellow, lighter browns are 
obtained and by varying these three colors all 
mode browns can be made. The quantities for 
dark brown are, as closely as can be approxi- 
mated , about three pounds of yellow or orange, one 
pound green and two and one half pounds of red. 
The quantities are figured for one hundred pounds 
of goods. It also has to be taken in consider- 
ation that every different brand of dyestuff 
gives a different shade. 

Green and red makes grey. About three 
ounces of green and one ounce of red makes a 
light grey. Ten ounces of green and ten ounces 
of red and a very small quantity of yellow, 
creates a pretty dark grey. 

Brown and green, make olive. Three 
parts of brown to one part of green. 

Orange and red make scarlet, about one 
pound red and twelve ounces of orange. 

Blue and violet will produce navy blues. 
One and one half pound of blue and one half 
pound of violet. 

Very pretty and rich red can be obtained 



28 



by combining red and violet, only small quanti- 
ties of violet should be used. 

Royal blue is obtained by using about two 
pounds of violet and one half pound of blue. 

Champagne is obtained by very small 
quantities of yellow and orange, the quantities 
should not be more than one tenth of one ounce. 

Old rose, three ounces of red and quite a 
small quantity, equal parts, of yellow and green. 

As already mentioned it is impossible to 
give recipes for all different shades, but a little 
practice and good judgment soon will enable 
a dyer to achieve good results. 



$ 



29 



Navy Blue. 

Very few Union navy blues are appropri- 
ate for garment dyeing. The best blues are 
Oxzonite Union navy blue, Union navy blue 
(F. B. of E. Co), Union Royal navy blue, 
(cassella.) 

The bath should be nearly cold when the 
garments are entered and should be worked 
at least for ten minutes before steam is put on. 

The dyestuff is best dissolved by placing the 
same in a copper dipper or any other vessel and 
the boiling water poured over the same, instead 
of the usual custom of adding the color to the 
boiling water. In all navy blues there is a great 
deal of violet which will not dissolve and after- 
ward forms a color lake upon the garments, 
which is ordinarily called "streaking." 

After the garments are well washed, ladies 
dresses should be hung in the drying-room, 
waist downward. The drying room should not 
be hotter than 8 ~)° F. ; too great a heat bronzes 
the garments. 



BRONZED GARMENTS. 

If garments are overdyed and look brownish 
after they come from the drying-room, place 
them on the scouring table and scour the same 
with hot soap suds containing a little ammonia, 

20°. 

If still brown after the scouring, draw them 
through a hot soap bath containing a few drops 
of hydrochloric acid and then rinse again. 

FADED PARTS. 

Dresses which are partly faded or are soiled 
under the arms from perspiration should have 
the faded parts washed with Acetic Acid before 
dyeing. The washing with Acetic Acid must be 
done after the scouring. 

If the trousers are soiled with urine stains, 
wash the soiled parts after the scouring with 
Hyposulphite of Sodium. 



31 



Matching Samples. 

In matching a shade to a given sample 
always employ the dyestuffs which are of the 
same nature as it is nigh impossible to obtain 
satisfactory results by mixing the dyestuffs 
promiscuously. 

For instance if you use Diamine Blue, and 
you want to make a green do not take Benzo 
Yellow, but employ either all Diamine dyes or 
all Benzo colors. Every dyestuff is of a differ- 
ent nature and naturally brings about different 
results and sometimes will not combine with 
another kind. 

A great many dyers use for shading, any 
color they can lay their hands on. If Union 
goods are dyed, a Union dyestuff should be 
used for shading By taking a straight wool 
color or cotton color it is most likely the wool of 
the cotton will get darker. 



32 



c. 




GAR31EXT PRESSING MACHINE. 

Cnited States Hoffman Co., Syracuse, X. T. 



33 



Wool Dyeing. 

The dyeing of garments which are entirely 
of wool and stitched with silk is not difficult. 

There are several processes for dyeing wool 
but there are only two processes which the 
garment dyer can adopt. 

Following are the processes for dyeing wool. 

i Dyeing with Sulfuric Acid, and Glaubers' salt. 

2 Dyeing with Acetic Acid and Glaubers' salt. 

3 Dyeing with acid and then after-chroming. 

4 Mordanting with Bichromate of Potash and 
Cream of Tartar and then dyeing with Alizarine, 
Anthracene colors or Logwood. 

5 Dyeing with Basic colors which is also 
called Neutral dyeing. 

The first three processes are adaptable for 
dyeing garments the latter two processes cannot 
be recommended. Process No. IV is too 
tedious and the result of mordanting garments 
which have already been dyed once is not 
satisfactory and the colors obtained are usually 
uneven. 

34 



Process No. V, dyeing with Basic colors 
is unsatisfactory as the shades obtained are 
not fast. A good Black cannot be obtained 
at all. 

Process No i 
Dyeing with Sulfuric Acid 

All garments must be thoroughly cleansed 
before dyeing and if colors such as red, green, 
golden brown or any light shade are to be dyed 
the goods have to be stripped. (See process for 
stripping) After the garments have been scoured 
they should be throughly washed in luke-warm 
water. Some dyers use soda in the rinsing bath, 
this should be avoided as the soda makes the 
fibre harsh and uneven dyeings are the result. 

For ioo lbs. of Goods. 

Prepare a dyebath as follows; fill up the 
dye-vat with sufficient water to cover the goods 
and add, 

4% (zilbs.) Sulfuric Acid 
10% (iolbs.) Glaubers' Salt 

Now dissolve in boiling water the necessary 
quantity of dyesturT usually from 3-5% (ac- 
cording to the strength of the color) and add 
this to the dye bath. 

Bring the dyebath to i40°F,the heat can be 
tested with a thermometer which is one essential 



35 



instrument in a dye house and can be bought 
for 75 cents. Enter the goods, stir well and 
gradually bring the bath to a boil and boil for 
one hour. Lift and throw them over a wooden 
horse and when cooled off a little, wash thorough- 
ly in cold water. 

Most of the dyestuffs exhaust and- the bath 
cannot be kept for future lots. 

Some dyers have the habit of only boiling 
one half hour ; this is a wrong method, even if the 
color has exhausted it is well to boil a little 
longer, the color will be brighter and faster. 

When light shades or combination shades 
are dyed it is advisable to add the dissolved 
dyestuff in portions as otherwise uneven dyeings 
are obtained. 

For very light shades the goods should be 
entered at a lower heat, about no-i2o°F. 

ACID DYESTUFFS. 

Nearly every large firm has a great variety 
of good acid colors and it is impossible to men- 
tion all of them. For Black such colors as 
Naphthylamine Black 4 B. K., Cashmere Black, 
Oxonite Acid Black, Azo Merino Black, B. Patent 
Naphthylamine Black, T. T. N., for pretty blues 
and greens, the Cyanole colors are to be recom- 
mended, Oxonite blue and green, new Patent 
Blue G. A, Brilliant Acid Green C. B. 

For yellow the Naphthol colors are the best 



36 



Red, Fast Red A. Azo Fuchsine C. B., 
Poneean R, Lanafuehrine S. G., Azo Red A., 
Brilliant Scarlet G. 

Dark Blue, Navy Blue, Azo Navy Blue B., 
Azo Wool Blue, S. & R.; Victoria Navy Blue, 
D. K., Cashmere Blue T. G. extra, Anthra- 
Cyanine 3 F. L. 

Orange, Orange II, Orange R., Orange R. O., 
Oxonite Orange. 

Process No. II. 

The dyeing is carried on in the same way as 
process No. I only that acetic acid is employed 
instead of sulfuric. This process is mostly used 
for light shades and really is not of great im- 
portance for garment dyers. 

Rhodamine, Erythrosine, snd Rosazeine are 
dyed with acetic acid. The above colors pro- 
duce bright pink shades. Rhodamine can also 
be dyed with sulphuric acid. 

Process No. III. 
After-Chroming Process 

This process is a very good one and has a 
great advantage over Process No. 1 as the blacks 
produced are very fast and the blacks are usually 
of a rich shade. 

Nearly every large dyestuff firm has a 
large assortment of after-chroming colors. 

The blacks are only of importance to gar- 
ment dvers. 



37 



Colors like Alizarine Black B., Chrome 
Cyanine T. , Anthracene Black, Oxonite Chrome 
Black are good for that purpose. 

Prepare as follows : add to the bath, 

10-15% (10-15 lbs) Glaubers' Salt 

3-4 % (3-4 lbs) Acetic Acid. 

Enter garments at i3o°F and bring bath 
gradually to a boil and boil one-half hour. 
vStop off steam and cool bath off to i6o°F and 
dissolve 2% (2 lbs.) of bichromate of potash or 
l i~ 2 % ( 1 J- 2 lbs.) of Flouride of Chrome (the 
latter gives a bluish shade) and add to the dye- 
bath. Push the goods aside with a stick when 
adding the chrome, bring bath to a boil and 
boil one half hour, lift and thoroughly wash. 

Process No. IV 
Dyeing with Mordant. 

This process as already mentioned is useless 
for garment dyers. 

Goods to be dyed are first mordanted as 
follows. 

Fill vat up with water enough to cover goods 
and add, for 100 lbs. of goods, 

3% (3lbs) Bichromate of Potash 

i\% (2 Jibs) Cream of Tartar 

The chrome and tartar should first be dis- 
solved in boiling water. 

Bring the bath to a boil and enter goods and 
boil one hour. Tift and thoroughly wash. 



38 



Now enter the goods into the dyebath. 
The dyebath must be cold or lukewarm and 
is brought very slowly to the boil and the goods 
are boiled for one hour and then washed. 

All Alizarine colors and Logwood are dyed 
by this mordanting process. 

Some dyers use no cream of tartar but use 
sulfuric acid instead or only chrome alone. 
This is done to economize, but is not advisable 
as the blacks usually are not fast. The Cream 
of Tartar is necessary to produce Chromic 
Acid which liberates itself in the dyebath and 
acts upon the fibre. 

Lactic Acid can also be used instead of 
Cream of Tartar. 

If goods are only chromed without the aid 
of Cream of Tartar or Lactic Acid, the colors 
obtained will not be fast and rub off. 

Process Xo. V 
Dyeing with Xeutral Colors 

Shades produced with neutral colors are 
bright, but not fast. 

The dyestuff should be thoroughly dissolved 
and then be strained through a fine sieve or 
cheese cloth. When dissolved, add the same to 
the dyebath with the addition of a little acetic 
acid, about 1J-2 lb. to the hundreds pound of 
goods. 

The goods are entered at a luke warm tem- 



39 



perature and must be well worked. Put on 
steam and bring bath slowly to i6o°F., stop off 
steam and work good for ten to fifteen minutes 
longer. Take out and slightly rinse. Boiling 
should be avoided as it makes the colors look 
dull. 

Colors adaptable for this purpose are, 
Rhodamine, Methylene Blue, Methylene Violet, 
Brilliant Green Crystals, Diamond Fuchine, 
Auramine Chrysoidine (Orange). Thioflavine 
etc. 



40 



Felt Hat Dyeing. 

Woolen Felt Hats, which are to be dyed 
black, can be dyed successfully with wool 
process No. Ill after-chroming process. 

The hat should be thoroughly cleansed and 
should be boiled for at least an hour. To ex- 
haust the bath a little sulfuric acid should 
be added after the bath has been boiling about 
one-half hour. 

Process No. I can also be used but the blacks 
are not as good and fast as with process No. Ill 
the hats before blocking will have to be sized. 
One of the best blacks in the market for felt 
hat dyeing is Diamond Black, which comes in 
several shades. 

Before dyeing old hats it is absolutely neces- 
sary that the hats should be thoroughly 
cleansed, otherwise it will be impossible to 
obtain an even black. 

Soda should not be used for cleaning, the 
best way is to use Olive Oil soap. 



41 



Stripping Garments. 

There are quite a number of preparations 
upon the market which are sold for that purpose. 
Heraldite C, Ringolite, Hydrosulphite, Camden 
Strippean, etc. 

All the products are of the same nature and 
work nearly alike. 

The goods to be stripped are treated in a 
weak ammonia bath and then rinsed. 

Prepare a bath of, 

3% (3lbs.) of Stripper 
2\% (2£lbs.) Sulfuric acid 
Enter goods at i20°F bring bath slowly to a 
boil and boil one half hour. Then rinse well 
in cold water and again in warm water. 



42 



Cotton Dyeing. 

Cotton dyeing is still a great factor in the 
garment dyeing branch. The garment dyer 
experiences a great deal of trouble in obtaining 
a good deep black. 

If the garments are all cotton he should not 
have much trouble providing he selects the 
proper dyestuff, there are hundreds of good 
blacks in the market and if the dyer buys his 
dyestuff of a good reliable house he most likely 
will get what he asks for,. but if he buys his dyes 
of some small firm he very often buys an adul- 
terated article and then his trouble commences. 
There are various processes to dye cotton, but 
there is really one which is useful for the garment 
dyer and that is the the direct dyeing process. 
For the benefit of the dyer who also does new 
work we will describe all the processes, 
i Direct dyeing with Common salt. 

2 Direct dyeing with Glaubers' salt. 

3 Dyeing with Sulfuric colors. 

4 Dyeing with Alum and Glaubers' salt. 

5 Dyeing with Basic colors. 

6 Developing Process. 

43 



Dyeing with direct dyeing colors is the only 
practical process for garment dyers . 

No. i Dyeing with Common Salt 
Soak goods in hike-warm soap water for 10-15 
minutes, rinse and prepare a dye bath as follows : 

The necessary quantity of dyestuff 
10% (iolbs.) of Common Salt 
Enter goods at i50-i6o°F., stir well, put on steam 
and boil one hour. Stop off steam and allow 
to remain in bath fifteen minutes. Lift and 
wash. If the garments are scoured it will not be 
necessary for them to be soaked in soap water. 
It is advisable at times to leave the gar- 
ments a little longer in the bath after the steam 
has been stopped off. 

No. 2 Dyeing with Glaubers' Salt 
The Diamine colors, mostly are dyed with 
Glaubers' salt, the process is the same as Process 
No. 1 only that 10-15% (io-i5lbs.) of Glaubers' 
salt is used instead of common salt. 

No. 3 Dyeing with Sulfur Colors 
The dyeing with sulfur colors, has not 
proven a success so far as garment dyeing is con- 
cerned, though these colors are to be recom- 
mended if the goods are all cotton. The colors 
obtained with sulfur dyes are very fast and 
rich. Good judgment is necessary in handling 
these dves as otherwise no results are obtained. 



44 



Copper kettles cannot be used nor should 
any iron steam pipe come in contact with the 
dye bath. Where horizontal steam pipes are 
used it is advisable to cover them with Asbestos 
or with heavy burlap. The new burlap dresses, 
which look like Pongee silk, in fact are an 
imitation of this material, dye very well with 
sulfur colors. All cotton upholstered curtains 
and hangings also dye well with these colors. 
It is best to cover the kettle or vat while dyeing 
as very often the air oxidizes the color and 
uneven dyeings are obtained. 

For ioo lbs. of Goods 
Prepare a dye bath as follows, 
Fill up vat with just enough water to cover goods 
10-20% of dyestuff 
10-20^ Sodium Sulphide Crystals 
2°^ Soda ash 
50-100^ Common Salt 

Goods are entered luke warm, then bring the 
bath slowly to 2oo°F and keep at this tempera- 
ture for one hour. Lift and wash thoroughly. 
The black will improve in the air or dry room. 

Some dyers cover the goods with burlap 
sacks for one hour before rinsing, but for gar- 
ments this is not necessary, the covering process 
is more for raw stock. 

There are quite a number of sulfur colors 
in the market. The Katigen and Immedial 
colors are very good. 



4.5 



The quantity of sodium of sulphide is reg- 
ulated, according to the quantity of dyestuff, 
usually equal quantities are taken. In making 
up your baths, first add the sulphide of sodium, 
then the soda ash, then the dyestuff, thoroughly 
boil up baths, cool off and add the salt. 

Sulphur dyes are very hard to dissolve and 
if not thoroughly dissolved, they will form color 
lakes and produce uneven dyeings. The bath 
does not exhaust and should be kept for future 
lots, when only one-half the amount of color 
is needed, three-quarters of the first amount of 
sulphide of sodium and full quantity of soda 
ash and salt; in the third bath the quantities of 
the chemicals can be reduced to one-half. 
Some of the sulphur colors are afterwards 
treated with metallic salts, but this after treat- 
ment is useless for garment dyeing. Glaubers' 
salt can also be used instead of common salt, 
but common salt is preferable. 

Every brand of sulphur color, needs a little 
different treatment, principally so far as quan- 
tities of salt are concerned. 

The Katigen colors are dyed with fifteen to 
fifty pounds of Glaubers' salt, or with twenty to 
thirty pounds of common salt, whereas Im- 
medial colors are dyed with forty to sixty 
pounds of Glaubers' salt. 

Boiling should be avoided, though some of 
the brown and red sulfur colors stand boiling, 



46 



it is advisable never to bring the dye bath over 

200°F. 

Alum and Glaubers' Salt Process 

This is another process useless in garment 
dyeing. 

Alum and Glaubers' salt colors are mostly 
used for dyeing carpet and yarns; the shades ob- 
tained are not fast and do not stand washing. 

For ioo lbs. of goods: Prepare a dyebath, 
containing necessary quantity of dyestuff which 
should be thoroughly dissolved. 

3^ Alum 

10^ Glaubers' Salt 
Enter goods at 1 1 o°F and slowly bring bath to 
i40°F and dye at this temperature for one half 
hour. Lift, extract liquor, dry without rinsing. 

Dyeing with Basic Colors 

All the basic dyes, dye cotton neutral 
(without addition of any salt) but the goods 
must be mordanted either with Sumac extract 
or Tannic acid and Tartar Emetic. 

The basic colors give very bright shades and 
are exceedingly well adapted for dyeing fine 
laces. 

Laces dyed with direct dyeing colors usually 
shrink very much, having to be boiled for an 
hour, whereas, the basic color dyeing process 



47 



leaves the laces at their original width as the 
dyeing process is carried on at a low temperature. 

For ioo lbs. of Goods 
Prepare a mordanting bath containing, 

3 % Tannic Acid or 
10-15% Sumac Extract 

(For delicate shades Tannic acid should be used). 

Enter goods in this bath at ioo°F and allow 
to remain in Tannic acid for one to two hours, 
if Sumac Extract is used leave the goods im- 
mersed over night. 

Squeeze or wring out the liquor and without 
washing enter the goods into a bath containing 
1^-3% Tartar Emetic 
(For light shades 1^ and for dark shades 3%) 

Leave in bath for 20-25 minutes, working 
the goods from time to time. 

Lift and thoroughly wash. 

Now enter the goods into the dyebath, 
which should be perfectly cold. The necessary 
quantity of dyestuff is dissolved and added to 
the water with no further addition of chemicals. 
Raise the temperature of dyebath to 130-140^. 
and dye at this temperature for thirty minutes 

Dark Blue shades can be dyed at a tem- 
perature of 1 50- 1 6o°F. Boiling must be avoided 
For light shades and laces, luke warm water will 
suffice. 

Laces should be mordanted with Tannic acid. 



48 



• • • 

• • < 



• • ••• • ' 




MACHINE FOR 3IARXING GAR3IENTS. 

The B. F. Cummins Co. 
Chicago, 111. Ravenswood Station. 



49 



Fifteen to twenty minutes are sufficient to 
leave them in the mordanting bath. 

Antimony salt can also be used instead of 
Tartar Emetic. |p* 

Basic colors are excellent for redyeing silk 
ribbons or laces 

To dye silk add a few drops of acetic acid. 
No mordanting is needed. 

Basic colors are quite strong and for light 
shades a very small quantity of dyestuff is 
needed/ 

Start bath luke-warm and gradually raise 
until 140 . 

Light shades can be dyed at a lower tem- 
perature. 

Topping with Basic Colors 

Cotton goods dyed with direct dyeing colors 
very often the shades look dull and to give 
them a bright appearance they are topped 
with Basic colors. This method is usually 
employed for greens. 

The ordinary way of topping is carried on as 
follows. 

Add to the cold water bath a little acetic 
acid, about 3-4% for each hundred pounds of 
goods, allow goods to lay in this bath for a 
few minutes, now add the previously dissolved 
dyestuff to the bath, it is advisable to add the 
dyestuff in two or three portions. After the 



50 



bath is nearly exhausted raise the bath gradual- 
ly to a boil. 

Basic colors are, Rhodemine, Eosine, Ery- 
throsine (Pinks), Auramine, Thiofla vine (Yellow), 
Fuchsine (Red) Geranium, Brillian green cry- 
stals, Malachite green (bluish green), Methyl 
Green, Methyl Violet, Chrysoidine (Orange), 
Methylene Blue. 

Note. All basic colors should be dissolved in 
boiling water, with the addition of a little 
acetic acid. 

Soft water should only be used if the water 
is hard add a little acetic acid. Sulphate of 
Alumia can also be used. 

DIAZOTISING AND DEVELOPING 
This process gives exceedingly fine blacks 
but the process so far has not found great favor 
with the garment dyer. There is no doubt that 
the process could be employed with good 
results if good judgment is used. 

DYEING PROCESS 
The garments are first dyed with the ordin- 
ary direct dyeing process as heretofore described. 
After the garments have been rinsed they are 
diazotised as follows, 



51 



Prepare a cold bath containing, 

2-3% (2-3 lbs.) Nitrite of Soda 

3-5% (3-5 lbs.) Hydrochloric Acid or Muriatic 
Acid, both acids are one and the same. 

The goods stay in this bath for twenty 
minutes. Rinse in cold water. 

The goods are now entered in the developing 
bath. 

The principal developers used are Beta 
Naphthol, Resorcine, Phenylene Diamine. Some 
of the dyestuff firms have their own developers, 
which are sold as developer No. 1, 2 and 3 etc. 

To develope with Beta Naphthol, 

Dissolve in about 8-10 gallons of boiling 
water. 

6 lbs. Caustic Soda lye (75 Tw.) 

7 lbs. Beta Naphthol 

For every hundred pounds of goods used about 
1 -1 -J gallon of the above solution in a vat of 
cold water and add about two pints of Caustic 
soda lye. Enter the goods and work in bath for 
twenty minutes. Take out and rinse twice in 
luke warm and once in cold water. 

Resorcine 

Dissolve in 8-10 gallons of boiling water. 

6 lbs. Resorcine 

13 lbs. Caustic soda lye~(75° Tw.) 
For 100 lbs. goods use about five quarts of 
above solution. 



52 



Work goods in the same manner as described 
above. 

Phenylene Diamine 

Dissolve in S-io gallons of boiling water. 

4lbs. Phenylene Diamine 

i lb. Soda ash 
For one hundred pounds of goods use two 
gallons of above solution and add about 1J-2 lbs. 
of soda ash to the cold bath. 

Work in the same manner as given for Beta 
Xaphthol. 

Nearly all the other diazotisers work in the 
same manner, great care has to be taken that 
the quantities are correct. It is necessary 
that the caustic soda lye is of full strength, 7 5°Tw. 
This is tested with a Hydrometer which can be 
bought in any wholesale drug house. 

Developing blacks can be obtained from any 
of the large dyestuff firms, which usually in- 
form their customers what developer to use. 



53 



Dyeing Lace Curtains. 

The dyeing of lace curtains is not a great 
industry, still some customers want their cur- 
tains dyed creme or very light shade of yellow. 
In former years the dyers used coffee or the 
German product called ' ' Chickory . ' ' 

Curtains can easily be dyed creme with 
Egyptian dye which is used for imitating Bal- 
briggon. The process is the same as the direct 
dyeing process with common salt, only that 
the quantity of dyes tuff used is very small, 
about one fiftieth part of one ounce is enough 
for a pair of curtains. The bath need only be 
hand warm. 

Leave curtains in bath about thirty minutes, 
take out and put them on curtain frames 



54 



Speck Dyeing. 

This method was the universal method 
for garment dyers until the Union colors made 
their appearance. 

Thousrh the Union colors have revolution- 
ized the ordinary methods in garment dyeing 
Speck dyeing is still carried on to a great extent. 
The results are not as satisfactory as can be 
obtained with Union colors. 

Dyeing Process 

The goods are first dyed in an acid bath (see 
Acid dyeing) after the garments are well rinsed 
thev are then dyed in direct dyeing cotton 
dyestuff either with common salt or Glaubers' 
salt; the bath should be lukewarm. 

The goods are kept in the bath for thirty 
minutes. 

To get an even shade it is of advantage to 
dye the wool a little lighter than the necessary 
shade, as quite a number of direct dyes will dye 
the wool a little and in this way an even shade 
is obtained. 

Garment dyers often dye the garments in 
the direct dyeing cotton bath first and then in 
the acid bath. This is wrong and should be 
avoided, as the acid will destroy the cotton 
color. 



55 



Very often after this two-process dyeing, 
the garments will be very harsh and are very 
difficult to be pressed. 

Immerse the goods in a weak soda bath for 
a few minutes, this will neutralize the acid and 
the goods can then be pressed easily. 



56 



Dyeing Jute. 

All goods made of Jute must be boiled in 
water for 10-15 minutes. 

The only articles of the material which are 
brought to a garment dyer are tassels and cur- 
tain holders. It is best to bleach them, before 
dyeing. Add to the boiling water a little soda 
and after the boiling, rinse. 

Then put them into a bleaching bath 
of Chloride of lime. Dissolve one half 
pound of lime in two gallons of water and allow 
to settle, then strain the clear chloride water 
through a cheese cloth. The articles to be 
bleached should be allowed to remain in the 
bath 10-15 minutes, take out and without rins- 
ing draw through an acidulated rinsing bath. 
This consists of a little sulfuric acid, about one 
half wine glass full, to three or four gallons of 
cold water. 

After the bleaching the goods are dyed in 
the same manner as cotton is dyed. Xot quite 
as much dyestuff is needed for dyeing Jute as 
is needed for cotton. 

Jute can also be dyed with acid and basic 
colors. 



.57 



Dyeing with Acid Colors 

Add to the bath 4% Ulbs.) of Alum (for 
100 lbs. of goods), enter the goods at the boil, 
boil for twenty minutes, turn off steam and al- 
low the goods to remain 15-20 minutes longer 
in the bath. 

Dyeing with Basic Colors 

Basic colors dye Jute without any mordant 
or addition of chemicals. Enter goods luke 
warm, bring bath gradually to 150-170^. and 
dye at this temperature until the bath is ex- 
hausted. For light shades add a few drops of 
acetic acid and for bright red shades a few drops 
of oxalic acid into the dyebath. 



58 



Dyeing Linen. 

Linen dresses should be boiled for one hour 
in a bath containing 3-5 lbs. of soda. 

Linen goods are sometimes hard to penetrate. 
The goods are dyed in the same manner as 
cotton goods but it is advisable not to add the 
common or Glaubers' salt to the bath until it 
has been boiling for 15 minutes. 



59 



Dyeing Silk. 

Dyeing of silk garments and goods is an 
important branch of the garment dyeing trade 
and is also the branch which gives the dyer a 
great deal of trouble. 

Silk goods are to a great extent weighted 
with chemicals and after they have been worn 
for a length of time become very weak and often 
will break or big holes will appear after the 
dyeing. Every garment dyeing establishment 
should have a sign conspicuously placed in the 
store, that no responsibility is taken. As soon 
as the goods are handed over the counter the 
strength should be tested by rubbing. If they 
show deterioration the quickest method for 
dyeing should be employed. 

There are several methods of dyeing with 
acid colors, salt colors, basic colors and over a 
mordant. 

New silk has to be degummed which is done 
by boiling for one hour in a soap bath. The 
bath in which the silk is boiled off is saved and 
afterwards used in the dyebath. This liquor 
is known as the "boiled off soap liquor" and 
is of great importance in the dyeing. 



60 



It is seldom that silk yarn or floss is brought 
to a garment dyer, consequently, he seldom has 
any soap liquor. When soap is needed in the 
bath, the best and most neutral olive oil soap 
should be employed. 

A good Soap Preparation 

Dissolve in five gallons of water one pound 
good olive oil or white eastile soap and 2-3 
ounces of pure white gelatine (can be obtained 
in any wholesale drug house). This preparation 
when used in dyeing will also leave the goods in 
good condition, whereas usually the goods 
come from the bath in a very soft and flabbv 
condition and have to be sized afterwards 
which gives the dyer a great deal of trouble. 

Dyeing with Acid Colors 

Fill the vat with luke warm water and add 
one half gallon of the soap solution, then add 
3-4% of sulfuric acid, stir the bath well, while 
adding the acid. Now dissolve the necessary 
amount of dyestuff and add to the bath. 

Some dyers work the goods in the soap bath 
a few minutes before they add the dyestuff, 
this is very good but not absolutely necessary. 

Enter the goods and bring bath slowly to 
about i8o°F. and dye at this temperature for 
one hour. Take out and draw to a cold water 
bath to which has been added some acetic acid, 



61 



about an ounce to three gallons of water. 
This is what the silk dyer calls a " Scroop". 

Nearly all the acid colors will dye silk. 
For black, the Naphthalamine and Oxonite 
silk black are very good, the Diamine colors 
are also excellent for that purpose. 

It takes about 6-8 pounds of dyestuff for 
one hundred pounds of goods to be dyed black. 

Dyeing with Acetic Acid 

The dyeing process is the same as with 
sulfuric acid. About 3-4% acetic acid is used. 

By drawing the goods through a tannic 
acid bath, after they are dyed, the fastness 
of the shades is improved. Dissolve 2 lbs. of 
tannic acid for one hundred pounds of goods. 
The bath should be cold. 

Dyeing with Basic Colors 

All basic colors should be well dissolved 
before they are added to the bath. It is best 
to use a little acetic acid in the dissolving bath 
and if still not dissolved add a few drops of 
alcohol. Methylene blue is one of the most 
difficult to dissolve and should be dissolved in 
alcohol and a little acetic acid. 

Prepare the dye bath with soap liquor as 
described in the acid dyeing process, add about 
i-i£% of acetic acid. Enter goods at a luke- 
warm temperature and slowly raise to i50-i6o°F. 



62 



Rinse in a cold water bath to which has been 
added a little acetic acid. 

Dyeing over a Mordant 

The best black is obtained over a mordant, 
this process takes more time and more work 
but the results are very satisfactory. 

The Various Mordant Processes. 

i. The silk must lie over night in a bath of 
chloride of chrome 30°Tw. In the morning 
rinse out two or three times in clean cold water. 

2. Treat the silk in a bath made up as follows. 
For one gallon of water add. 15 ounces of sul- 
phate of alumina and 2 J ounces of soda, the latter 
should be separately dissolved in a pint of water. 
The bath should be about 1 5°Tw. ; work in this 
bath about 15 minutes and allow to remain 
in bath for 3 hours, take out and rinse in a 
soap bath and then rinse again. 

3. Lay the silk over night in a bath of 
ferric nitrate (Iron liquor), in the morning 
squeeze out and throughly rinse in warm water. 
Then enter the silk for one hour into a boiling 
soap bath and wash again. 

The process No. 3 is the easiest and the 
most used. The mordant liquor can be kept, 
but should be kept up to its original strength. 

Dyeing the Silk 
The goods should be dyed at once without 
drying after the mordanting. 



63 



Add to the bath about two or three gallons 
of soap liquor, as described in the acid dyeing 
process, for every 15 gallons of water, 2% of 
acetic acid. Dissolve the dyes tuff and strain 
through a cheese cloth and add to the bath. 

Enter goods in lukewarm bath, work a few 
minutes, put on steam and raise bath gradually 
to i8o°-i90°F. and dye at this temperature for 
about one hour. Rinse the goods very thorough- 
ly and then draw through a luke warm bath 
containing acetic acid, about one ounce of acetic 
acid to every gallon of water. 

Dyeing with Salt Colors 

The dyeing of silk with direct dyeing dye- 
stuff is not useful for light shades as the shades 
look very dull. For black, brown and navy 
blue they can be employed. The range of colors 
for this purpose is limited and there are only a 
few direct dyeing colors which will produce 
results. The best colors to use are the Union 
colors, those which dye with common salt. 
Direct Deep Black Extra E, Oxonite Union 
Black, Union Black S, Benzo Brown, Oxonite 
Brown, Union Navy Blue and Royal Union 
Navy Blue are the best colors to use. They 
dye in the same manner as the Union colors 
(with the common salt) see Union dyeing. 

If the goods are all silk, it is best not to 
boil the goods, dye at about 2oo°F. and i to f 



64 



hours will suffice. Rinse in acetic acid acidu- 
lated bath. 

Dyeing Pongee. 

Redyeing Pongee is a very unsatisfactory 
process and nearly every dyer has had his 
troubles. 

Nearly every dyer has his own method but 
very few obtain any good results. Most of the 
Pongees after they are dry look bluish or grey. 
Navy blues are usually uneven, look bronzed 
or very dull. 

Acid dyes do not give full satisfaction as a 
great many garments are stitched with cotton 
or mercerized yarn. 

The best way to dye pongee is with a Union 
dyestuff as mentioned for silk and to allow 
the pongees to remain in the bath after the 
steam has been shut off for at least f-i hour. 
Then take them out. Take a tub large enough 
to hold the garment and fill the tub with enough 
dye liquor, the same with which the garment 
has been dyed, and add \ wine glass full of acetic 
acid. Make the bath hot, i8o°F., re-enter the 
garment and allow to remain for 20-30 minutes, 
take out and wash. 

If the acetic acid would be added to the 
full vat, the dye liquor could not be used again 
for dyeing Union goods. 

Dresses which have been dyed navy blue, 



65 



when taken into the dry room should be hung 
waist down, this will prevent streaking. 

Pongees dyed in described method will give 
good results 

Dyeing Artificial Silk. 

By artificial silk is not meant mercerized 
yarn. In late years artificial silk has been 
made from wool pulp and is mostly used for 
trimmings. If dyed in a boiling bath the silk 
dissolves or breaks into little pieces. The 
writer knows of a case, where the garment 
dyer dyed a costly broadcloth dress with silk 
trimmings, the dress was well dyed but no 
trimmings could be found when it came from 
the dyebath, except a few shreds, which after 
examination proved to be artificial silk. By 
using a magnifying glass it can easily be detect- 
ed, it looks very coarse, the fibre is similar to 
Rami and has an exceedingly high lustre. 

DYEING PROCESS 

Artificial silk is best dyed with direct dyeing 
salt colors, in fact all cotton colors can be used. 
Acid colors are absolutely useless. 

The silk is entered at a very low temperature, 
the bath is gradually brought to i2o-i30°F. and 
dyed at this temperature for \ hour. Rinse in 
cold water. 

The color goes on very easy. For light shades 
the dyestuff should be added in small portions. 

Basic colors can also be used. 

66 



Dyeing Straw. 

Very few garment dyers bother with the 
dyeing of straw hats as they have no facilities 
to reblock them. Black is the principal shade. 

If the hat is very dirty it is best to boil the 
same for an hour in a soda bath before dyeing. 

There are quite a number of blacks which 
can be used, some are acid dyes; Direct Deep 
Black Extra or Oxonite Union Black give good 
results. 

For 10 lbs. of hats use 12 ounces of dyestufT 
and double the quantity of common salt and 
boil for 1^ hours. Wash in cold water. 

To stiffen the hat, make a thin gelatine 
size and draw the hats through the same and 
then hang up to dry. 

If light shades are to be dyed the straw will 
have to be bleached. 

For white hats bleach in the following manner : 

Dissolve in boiling water, 3 ounces of Per- 
manganate of Potash and add to this one gallon 
of cold water, (for every gallon of water three 
ounces of Permanganate must be added). 

Enter the hats in this solution and allow 
to remain for 15 minutes (the hat will be nut 
brown). 



67 



Take out and without rinsing immerse the 
hat in a sulphurous acid bath (cold) work until 
all the brown has disappeared. Then wash 
twice in cold water. 

For dyeing light shades use basic colors 
without any addition of acid only using the 
color alone. 

Chip Plait can be dyed in the same manner. 



08 



Dyeing Gloves. 

Dyeing kid gloves is profitable, but very 
few dyers take in gloves as the results obtained 
are often not very good. 

Dissolve about J ounce of Nigrosine (sol- 
uble in parafine oil) with six ounces of Chloro- 
form. 

Brush this solution on the glove and dry 
with a muslin rag. 

There are several prepared dyes and pastes 
in the market which will do the work quick and 
well. 



Dyeing Feathers. 

The dyeing of Ostrich feathers is an art of 
its own and the feather dyeing has in late years 
been done for the trade by a few firms, ninety 
per cent, of garment dyers send their feathers 
away to be dyed. 

To dye feathers successfully a great deal 
of skill and judgment is needed and any dyer 
who is not gifted with patience should not 
undertake this work. Though in the last few 
years through the introduction of so many 
new colors which are adaptable for this work, 
the dyeing of feathers has become quite easy. 

The dyer should beware of dyeing willow 
feathers, if they are pasted they cannot be dyed 
as they will come apart. 

Black is the only color of importance, 75% of 
all Ostrich feathers are dyed black. 

How to Dye Black 

The feathers should first be brushed with a 
soft brush to remove all dust. 

No. 2. Fill a kettle with warm water to 
cover the feather and add enough olive oil soap 
to make a good lather. Soak the feathers over 
night. 



70 



No. 3. In the morning take out feathers and 
wash twice in lukewarm water. 

No. 4. Dissolve in 5 quarts of boiling water, 
5 ounces of Tumeric and add 1 tablespoonful 
of Archil extract. Enter your feathers and 
work the same for 4-5 minutes. Take out and 
wash tw'ce in cold water. 

No. 5. Cover two pounds of Logwood chips 
with 2\ gallons of water and boil for \ hour. 
Pour off the logwood liquor and remove the chips 
from the kettle. Bring the logwood to the 
boil, shut off steam and enter your feathers 
and allow to remain 6-7 minutes. Take out 
and wash twice. 

No. 6. Dissolve in 5 quarts of boiling water, 
\ ounce of yellow chrome, chromate of potash 
and \ ounce of red chrome (bichromate of potash) 
enter the feathers and work 2-3 minutes. Take 
out and wash twice in cold water. 

No. 7. Bring the Logwood bath to a boil 
and re-enter feathers and allow to remain for 
15 minutes. Take out and wash twice in cold 
water. 

No. 8. Dissolve in one gallon of boiling water, 
\ ounce of yellow chrome, enter feathers and 
work for 2 minutes. Take out and wash twice 
in cold water. — 

Note. — Yellow Chrome, is Chromate of Potassium 



No. 9. In two gallons of cold water dissolve 
\ lb. of pure corn starch, enter the feathers 
and work them for a minute. Take out, wring 
out the starch liquor and beat them on a clean 
board. Hang up to dry if possible in the air. 
When the feathers are half dry they are beaten 
again and when perfectly dry beat them hard 
over the board until all the starch is beaten out. 
Never allow the feathers to dry without beating. 

If the instructions are followed out a black 
is obtained which will please any customer. 

This process is only for feathers to be redyed. 
The garment dyer seldom or never gets raw 
stock to dye. For new feathers the same process 
can be used only that when the feathers are 
entered in the first logwood bath they are al- 
lowed to remain for two hours and in the second 
logwood bath for one hour. 

Note. The dye and chrome baths should be 
boiling hot but the bath must never be allowed 
to boil as otherwise the feathers shrink. 

Dyeing Shades 

The dyeing of the light shades is quite easy 
providing good judgment is used. Acid colors 
should be avoided, though there are several 
acid colors which produce good shades, such 
as Orange II, Cyanole, Patent Blue, still it is 
not advisable to use them as the acid is injurious 
to the fibre, the shades can only be obtained 



72 



by boiling the feathers which also injures the 
fibre or flue. The basic colors are best adspted 
for feather dyeing and every shade can be ob- 
tained with them. For very pale shades the 
feathers must be bleached white and thoroughly 
cleansed. 

For pale shades the best bleaching bath is a 
hot soap bath with a little dissolved bioxolate 
of potash. For dark shades the feathers should 
be placed for ten minutes in a cold permangan- 
ate of potash solution and afterwards drawn 
through a neutralized Sulphurous acid bath 
and twice washed in cold water. 

How to prepare the Dyebath 

Take a white basin fill up with cold water 
and add a good hand full of pure corn starch, 
when the starch is dissolved add the necessary 
amount of color. 

The dyestuff should be previously dissolved 
in boiling water and those dyestuffs which 
boiling water will not dissolve, such as Methyl- 
ene Blue must be dissolved in alcohol. 

The easiest way is to have all the dyestuffs 
needed thoroughly dissolved and then filtered 
into bottles and well corked. When ready for 
dyeing take an eye dropper and drop a few 
drops into the starch water, if the shade is not 
deep enough drop a few more drops into the 
bath and so on until the desired shade is ob- 



73 



tained. The depth of shade can also be regu- 
lated by allowing the feather to lay in bath for 
a longer time or by adding a little hot water, 
but never so hot as to congeal the starch. 

If the shade is too deep draw through 
hot soap suds and if that will not remove suf- 
ficient color add a few drops of dissolved 
Bioxolate of potash. 

Brown, — use Thioflavine (yellow) Brilliant 
green and a drop of Fuchsine, yellow must be 
the largest part. Aniline brown and a little 
yellow will produce a good brown. Bismark 
brown, a few drops of Malachite . green and a 
few drops of yellow give a pretty shade of brown. 
Brown can be also obtained with Logwood and 
bichromate of potash. 

Give the feathers only half the amount of 
Tumeric. The logwood should only be \ the 
strength as for black. Allow feathers only to 
remain 2 minutes. 

The chrome bath should also be only half 
strength; work 1 minute. 

Navy Blue, — Methyl Violet 2 B and Methylene 
Blue M., Logwood, using the process for black 
only in weaker decoction and topping with 
Archil extract produces a very dark navy blue. 

Green, — Yellow shades, Brilliant green crys- 
tals and Auramine II or O. 

Bright Green, — Brilliant Green Crystals. 
Green, — Bluish shade, Malachite Green. 



74 



Pink, — Rhodamine (Yellowish shade) Ploxine, 
Krythrosine. 

} "ellow, — Lemon shade, Auramine,Thioflavine. 

Canary, — a few drops of Chrysoidine. 

( hange, — Chrysoidine. 

Blue, — Methylene Blue, for pale shades three 
drops will be enough. 

Cerise, — Cerise, Rhodamine and Methyl Violet. 

Red, — Geranium. 

Grey, — Geranium and Brilliant green crystal, 
about one part of green. 

Mode, — Geranium, Methylene Blue andThio- 
flavine, only use a few drops of each, the least of 
blue. 

It is impossible in this book to give the 
recipes for all shades. By using Auramine, 
Rhodamine, Aniline Brown, Bismark Brown, 
Brilliant Green crystal, Malachite Green, Cerise, 
Geranium and Chrysoidine, all shades can be 
obtained, a little practice will soon bring the 
desired effects. 



75 



Dyeing Carpets. 

This industry has become of late quite an 
income to the garment dyer. The dyeing of 
carpets can be undertaken in any plant where 
there is a square or long wooden vat. Attached 
to the top of the vat should be a wheel the 
width.of the vat, a crank should be attached so the 
wheel can be conviently turned or a pulley can be 
attached so the wheel can be run by steam. 

On the spokes of the wheel nail a few pieces 
of rubber which will prevent the carpet from 
slipping. 

Sew a few strips of carpet together, hang 
over the wheel and fasten the two ends with 
thin wire or small iron clasps. 

The carpet must be throughly dusted, if 
possible in a dust wheel. 

The dyeing is done with acid colors the same 
way as described in wool dyeing. The acid 
colors are best adaptable as they leave the 
back of the carpet undyed. 

Dark Red and Blue are the best shades to be 
dyed. 

76 



As soon as they are dyed, they should be 
washed, rolled together and the water squeezed 
out. Unroll the strips and cut the single strips 
loose and either nail them to the floor or on a 
w T ooden frame and allow to dry in this way. 
To allow to dry in a stretched position will pre- 
vent them from shrinking. 



77 



Dry Dyeing. 

Until the present time, Dry Dyeing is still 
in its infancy and no special success has been 
made. The great obstacle is that real dark 
shades are unobtainable and the shades ob- 
tained are not fast to light nor to washing. 

Very recently one of the largest garment 
dyeings establishments has built a special plant 
for this kind of dyeing, but it will have to be 
proven that the plant has been successful. 

For laces, small pieces of silk, for light 
shades on feathers, silk gloves, etc., the dry 
dyeing process can be successfully employed. 

There are two processes of dry dyeing : ist, 
with gasoline and oil paints. 2d, with Alcohol 
and Basic Colors. 

For process No. 1, procure tubes of good oil 
paint, such as Chrome Yellow, Burnt Seneca, 
Umber, Prussian Blue, Vermillion, etc. 

For a light shade only very little color is 
needed. Dissolve the paint in a little gasoline, 
and to prevent spotting the goods, strain the 
dissolved paint into a new vessel, now fill up 
the vessel with enough gasoline to cover goods,, 
immerse the goods for a few minutes, take cut 
and squeeze out liquor and hang up to dry. 

The deeper the shade is wanted the more 



78 



color will have to be taken and the articles will 
have to be left longer in the bath. 

Oil paints can be obtained in any art store. 

Process Xo. 2. Instead of gasoline and oil 
paints, Alcohol and Basic colors are used The 
Basic colors are dissolved in Wood Alcohol, 
The process for dissolving is the same as for 
process Xo. 1, and the dyeing is also done in 
the same manner. The latter process gives 
brighter colors on silk but is useless for feathers 

The shades obtained on feathers dyed in the 
above way are very fugitive. 



79 



The Use of Acids. 

There is probably no other branch of dyeing 
so little understood and so thoroughly abused as 
the necessity and importance of the use of the 
various chemicals in the dyebath. In many 
cases but little attention is paid to the amount 
or quality of the ingredients used, while in 
nearly all cases the reasons for their use are 
entirely unknown. Glauber's salt is substituted 
for common salt, sulfuric acid for acetic acid, 
and calcined Glauber's salt for the crystallized 
product. 

The varying results obtained by thus inter- 
changing chemicals are always to be due to the 
dyestufT itself; whereas, as a fact different 
deliveries of the same dyestuff vary but seldom 
at present, as the most exacting care is taken 
by the large color manufacturers to insure uni- 
formity of their products. 

Uneven and unsatisfactory dyeings are 
practically always the result of unclean goods or 
of inattention, forge tfulness or negligence upon 
the part of the dyer. 

SULFURIC ACID. 

This is one of the strongest and cheapest of 
acids that can be used for dyeing. One part 
sulfuric acid 66° Be. possesses the same amount 
of acidity as 2.18 parts of muriatic acid 22 Be., 



80 



or as parts of acetic acid No. 8. On account of its 
great strength care must be exercised in its use. 
It is used principally in the dyeing of the so- 
called acid colors upon wool. It is used to a 
slight extent in the chroming of wool with pot- 
assium bichromate, but its application for this 
purpose is not to be recommended, as it hardens 
and harshens the wool, causing the fibre to lose 
its strength and to dye unevenly. Colors pro- 
duced upon a chrome bottom thus formed are 
not as brilliant or as fast as those upon a chrome 
tartar mordant. The use of sulfuric acid is ad- 
vocated for the dyeing of all acid colors upon 
woolen yarn, but care must be taken that the 
amount of acid is not so great as to cause the 
color to spring too rapidly to the fibre. The 
more sulfuric acid present in the dyebath, the 
more rapid the dyeing and the more complete 
the exhaustion. In the dyeing of those colors 
which exhaust rapidly, not more than one- 
quarter of the acid should be used at the begin- 
ning of the operation, the remainder being added 
slowly during the dyeing. In no case should 
the strong acid be added directly to the bath, 
but the required amount should first be poured 
slowly and carefully into twenty times its own 
weight of water, and this dilute acid then added 
to the dyebath, the goods being always lifted 
before the addition. 

Difficulty is often experienced in the dyeing 



81 



of goods with sulfuric acid. If too much 
acid is present in the dyeing of felts, heavy 
goods, etc., the color springs to the surface of 
the goods, preventing penetration of the dye- 
liquor and causing uneven dyeing. This can be 
entirely obviated if the goods are boiled for 
half an hour in the bath containing simply the 
dyestuff and the Glauber's salt, and the nec- 
essary sulfuric acid then added slowly, the boil- 
ing being continued. By this process the goods 
are thoroughly penetrated with the solution of 
dyestuff before the color is set with the acid. 

It is advisable to always introduce the goods 
into the dyebath below the boiling point, as no 
matter how evenly the dye may color the goods 
when introduced at the boil, the results are not 
as brilliant, or strong or as fast as if they had 
been introduced below the boiling point and the 
temperature gradually raised. 

In dyeing with a mixture of colors which 
possess different exhaustion properties, the 
kettle should be started with the amount of 
acid required by the quickest dyeing color of 
the combination, and after one-half hour's 
boiling, the additional amount of acid required 
by the slowest dyeing ingredient should be in- 
troduced. Careful attention to this method 
will result in the production of uniform and 
even dyeings that could not be otherwise ob- 
tained from the combination of dyestuff s used. 



82 



Even' trace of sulfuric acid should be washed 
from the goods before drying, as the presence 
of acid will discolor the dyeing and ruin the fibre. 

It is evident from the above that the abuse 
of the use of sulfuric acid is a source of great 
trouble in the dyeing of woolen goods, and yet 
but comparatively little attention is paid to it 
by dyers. 

A careful study of the colors and goods used 
is absolutely necessary to determine the amount 
of acid required, and a watchful attention to 
each particular dyeing operation will of necessity 
result in the production of dyeings of the highest 
grade. 

MURIATIC ACID 

Muriatic or hydrochloric acid until the last 
few years was of little interest to the dyer. 

The introduction of the diazotizable colors 
several years ago, has brought this acid promin- 
ently before the dyer. 

The colors are dyed upon unmordanted 
cotton, and then subjected to the diazotizing 
process. This consists in immersing the goods 
in a weak solution of sodium nitrite and hydro- 
chloric acid. The acid is first diluted with a 
small amount of water and then added to the 
very weak solution of sodium nitrite. Muriatic 
acid is best suited for this purpose and should 
not be substituted bv sulfuric acid, as the latter 



83 



is too powerful and causes the liberation of the 
nitrous acid gas too rapidly, which then escapes 
into the air instead of being liberated slowly, 
in which case it attacks the color upon the fibre, 
producing the desired result. Sulfuric acid has 
a tendency to heat the bath, a state that must 
be avoided. The hydrochloride of the diazo- 
tized color produced upon the fibre when mur- 
iatic acid is used is more stable than the sulfate 
produced by the use of sulfuric acid. 

For the above reasons muriatic acid should 
always be used in the diazotizing bath for the 
treatment of diazotizable colors. 

ACETIC ACID 

This is the most useful of all acids to the dyer. 
Of late years its value has been better appreci- 
ated, and its use more extended. Within late 
years a great many wool dyes have been in- 
troduced into the market that possess the prop- 
erty of extreme rapidity of dyeing in the pres- 
ence of sulfuric acid. For such colors acetic 
acid is well adapted. It causes a much slower 
exhaustion of the dyebath than does sulfuric 
acid, and the results produced are therefore 
much more level. It should always be used 
where it is particularly desirable that even 
dyeings should be obtained, as in the dyeing 
of light shades upon piece-goods. Acetic acid 
is always valuable for the dyeing of heavy 



84 



garments, as felts, flannels, etc., which are diffi- 
cult to penetrate. The use of strong acids in 
these cases should be avoided, as they cause the 
color to dye the exterior of the goods, leaving 
the interior undyed or of a much lighter shade. 
By useing acetic acid the color dyes very slowly 
allowing the penetration of the goods, and the 
formation of a uniform color upon both the in- 
terior and the exterior of the goods. 

OXALIC ACID 

This acid has but little value in the dyehouse. 
It cannot be used where it is desirable to 
make use of its acidity, on account of its 
injurious effect upon wool when present in 
large quantities. Its chief use is in the chrom- 
ing of wool, and its use for this purpose is not 
to be advised. It does not give the real value 
of the bichromate, and renders the wool rough 
and harsh causing uneven and dull dyeings. 

Lately attention has been called to its use- 
fulness in dyebaths where the water is hard, 
containing a large amount of lime, and where it 
is desired to dye with colors sensitive to this 
impurity. In these cases a small amount of 
oxalic acid should be added to the boiling bath, 
previous to the addition of any of the other in- 
gredients. The insoluble oxalate thus formed 
separates and the dyeing operation can then 
be continued as usual. 



Salt. 

This assistant was little used before the 
introduction of the direct cotton dyeing colors, 
but the value of its use soon become evident, 
and to-day it finds a place in every dyehouse. 
Its cheapness and effectiveness make it in- 
valuable in the dyeing of cotton and Union 
colors with the direct dyes. 

By adding common salt to the dyebath, the 
water dissolves the salt and has a tendency to 
precipitate the coloring matter. The intro- 
duction of the cotton causes an attraction for 
the coloring matter by that fibre, and under the 
repulsion of the salt saturated water and the 
attraction of the cotton, the dyestuif leaves the 
former and becomes attached to the latter. 
With this plainly understood, the rules that 
govern the use of salt are evident. Too much 
salt must not be added to dyebaths containing 
colors difficult of solution, or a precipitation 
of the latter will result. 

As water will dissolve only one-third of its 
weight in salt, so much of the latter must not be 
used to super-saturate the water, and for the 
same reason the amount must be gradually re- 
duced in a running kettle,. as the only salt that 
is removed is that contained in the water which 
adheres to the fibre when removed from the bath. 
Salt should be used in preference to Glauber's 



86 



salt in dyeing with cotton colors that are sensi- 
tive to acids. 

On account of lack of care, it frequently 
happens that successive baths do not contain 
the same amount of salt, and as a result some 
kettles produce deeper results than others, the 
cause of the trouble being generally laid upon 
the dyestuff, whereas it is due entirely to un- 
equal amounts of salt in the various baths. 
A good grade of salt should be used, and that 
containing calcium or magnesium salts should 
be avoided, as they will cause uneven dyeings. 

The goods should be throughly washed after 
removing from the dyebath, as salt is difficult 
of removal from the fibre when it is once dried. 

Careful examinations of the dyebath should 
be made each time before the introduction of 
the goods to determine if any precipitation of 
the coloring matter has been caused by too 
large an addition of salt. The reasons for the 
use of salt are so evident that a little thought 
will explain the cause and remedies for any in- 
equalities due to this ingredient of the dyebath . 



Measures of Weight. 

The Gramme, the unit of weight, is the 
weight of a cubic centimeter of distilled water 
at 4° Centigrade. 

i Milligramme equals roV o of a gramme, equals 

0.0154 troy grain. 

1 Centigramme equals T ^o of a gramme, equals 

0.1543 troy grain. 

1 Decigramme equals T V of a gramme, equals 

1.5432 troy grains. 

1 Gramme (as above), equals 15.4323 troy 

grains. 

1 Decagramme equals 10 grains, equals 154.3235 

troy grains. 

1 Hectogramme equals 100 grains equals 3.5291 

oz. avoir dup. 

1 Kilogramme equals 100 grains, equals 2.20462 

lbs. avoir dup. 

1 pound avoirdupois equals 453.59 grammes. 

1 ounce avoirdupois equals 28.34 grammes 



8S 



Measures of Capacity. 

(Dry and Liquid.) 

The Litre, the measure of capacity, dry and 
liquid, is the volume of a cubic decimetre. 

i Millilitre equals toVo of a litre, equals 0.06103 

cubic inch. 

1 Centilitre equals y^ of a litre, equals 0.61027 

cubic inch. 

1 Decilitre equals T V of a litre, equals 6.10270 

cubic inches. 

1 Litre (as above), 1000 cubic centimetres, equal 

1.7608 pints. 

1 Decalitre equals 10 litres, equals 2.2009 

gallons. 

1 Hectolitre equals 100 litres, equals 22.0097 

gallons. 

1 Kilolitre equals 1000 litres, equals 220.0967 

gallons. 

1 gallon of water weighs 8J lbs. avoirdupois. 



89 



CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Bronzed Garments . . 31 

Cotton Dyeing 43-53 

Dyeing . 16-19 

Dyeing Artificial Silk 66 

Carpets '. . 76-77 

" Feathers . 70-75 

" Gloves 69 

" J ute ■•■•• • •• 57-58 

" Lace Cartains . 54 

" Linen 59 

" Pongee . 65 

" Silk 60-64 

" Straw . 67-68 

Dry Dyeing 78-79 

Felt Hat Dyeing 41 

Matching Samples 32 

Navy Blue 30 

Preparing Garments Before Dyeing . 1-5 

Salt. 86-87 

Shade Dyeing 26-29 

Speck Dyeing 55-56 

Stripping Garments 42 

The Dye House . 6-10 

The Dyeing of Union Goods 20-25 

The Dyeing Room •• • • 12-14 

The Use of Acids , 80-85 

Weights and Measures : . . . . 88-89 

Wool Dyeing 34-40 



90 



